All hands on deck

When Mike Lenard deployed to Italy with the U.S. Navy, he couldn’t find a reliable service in Northern Virginia to care for his yard in his absence.

So in 2009, the summer before he retired from the Navy as senior chief petty officer, Lenard started his own company – Lenard’s Lawn Care Service – to provide the quality that was lacking.

“I knew there was a need for a quality guy, not just a mow-and-go,” says Lenard, who had cut grass during high school in Texas. “I knew what I was doing already, so I just followed my passion. There was no quality guy around, and I wanted to fill that gap.”

The company focuses on residential work, and though Lenard doesn’t target military homeowners specifically, his location in Chesapeake is near a major military hub – positioning him to provide reliable lawn care for others during deployment.

Taking care of business.

Becoming a premier lawn care service didn’t take any drastic measures. By simply conquering the basics – which many fledgling companies failed to do – Lenard's Lawn Care established a quality reputation quickly.

“We actually show up and do our job on the day that it’s scheduled,” Lenard says. “A lot of my current customers have let other people go because they don’t do their job.”

Finding Business Online

Most new customers come to Lenard Lawn Care Service through referrals. In addition to neighborly word-of-mouth, more new business is coming through the company’s website. Online traffic accounts for about 30 new customers a year – currently about a third of Lenard’s customer base.

“We’ve spent thousands of dollars on our website,” says Mike Lenard, company owner. “We rank very well on the Internet, and that, of course, drives sales.”

Lenard hired a web designer and search engine optimization expert to develop an effective website that could help potential customers find his services. Focusing on geo-local keywords, the company’s website ranks high in Google search results for lawn care in Chesapeake. As the company grows, Lenard is working toward ranking well for Suffolk and Virginia Beach, as well.

Now, Lenard writes blog posts for the website and manages the company’s Facebook page to reach prospects and customers alike. He spends about five hours a week managing the company’s online presence, which reaps big rewards in terms of sales.

Of course, he says, “the best form of communication is face-to-face.” Plus, he typically relies on email or phone as the main point-of-contact with current customers. But an effective website and social media presence can support that communication when face-to-face isn’t possible.

“It doesn’t take long to blog. It doesn’t take long to Facebook,” Lenard says. “You’re constantly in contact with your customers anyway; it’s just an extra little bit.”

One customer – another retired Navy chief – asked Lenard to cut her lawn after her previous provider stopped showing up. For emphasis, she lifted the doormat to show him the check still waiting for the last crew.

Lenard realizes that anyone with a truck and a mower can start a lawn care company – but just because someone can cut grass doesn’t mean the service is professional. That requires extra, although not extraordinary, effort – like showing up on time to do the work.

“First, you have to do a good job. Then, you start a relationship,” Lenard says. “Some people try to build a relationship before doing a good job, and you can’t always do that.”

Of course, different customers have different expectations, so it’s crucial to align with customers immediately. To lay the foundation, Lenard personally visits prospects to produce quotes. That initial meeting is the best opportunity to learn what customers want, and to explain why the short grass they think they want isn’t conducive to the healthy lawn they really want. In other words, setting expectations is a balancing act between experience and customer service. “During the estimates, you can get a lot of information from them, and that’s also where you can really educate them,” Lenard says. “If you do their yard how you want it done, that’s the wrong way; that’s how a lot of businesses fall flat on their face.

"You have to do their yard to their likes, as long as you respect the growth process of grass. If they want it short, then you have to explain to them why you can’t.”

However, the ultimate test isn’t how much customers enjoy your explanations of ideal turf conditions. Proving quality to customers requires walking the talk by actually delivering the results they expect.

“Once you understand how they want their yard done, then you’re golden,” Lenard says. “Then it’s just repetition.”

Consistent service.

Repeating quality service can be challenging for lawn care companies – especially as you grow. Lenard's Lawn Care’s footprint is quickly growing beyond Chesapeake, into Virginia Beach to the east and Suffolk to the west, as its reputation spreads.

Growth means Lenard can’t service every lawn by himself, so he has to hold his three employees accountable to customers’ expectations in order to maintain the Lenard standard of quality.

“I brought my military background of accountability into the civilian world,” says Lenard, who personally visits customers quarterly to make sure his crews are consistently meeting their expectations.

“I might think something looks good, but it’s their yard. It depends on what they think because we are only as good as our last cut.”

For that reason, Lenard looks ahead to prepare for growth so that his team can continue offering an outstanding level of service without rushing off to the next job. Knowing that the company grows at least 30 percent each season, Lenard can schedule appropriately – just enough work to keep his crew busy for eight hours a day.

Lenard’s current crew consists of a leader and a leader-in-training – who both brought at least five years’ experience to the company. With the help of one other employee, they service the company’s 100 customers.

As soon as the customer base hits 150 lawns, the leader-in-training will move into another truck – which is already waiting in the wings – to launch his own route. This allows the company to expand smoothly without sacrificing service.

“That’s why I have two crew leaders on a truck, so when I split them apart, they’ve gotten the same training,” Lenard says. “So I’ve already staked out the first three crew leaders; we’ve just got to train up their assistants.”

Lenard sees his staff as a squadron that he’s responsible for – another value honed in the military. He’s not just providing for his family, but three other families, as well. In fact, now in his sixth year of business, Lenard still hasn’t paid himself one cent. Relying instead on his military retirement pay, all the profits go back into the company to promote growth.

Lenard’s military background of unfaltering accountability and team-minded responsibility sets his company apart from competitors. But the retired senior chief is careful not to become a militant drill sergeant who barks orders.

“That’s one thing you can’t be: You can’t be hard on everybody all the time, or you’re not going to keep employees,” he says.

“You want the best, and if you pay them well and take care of them, then everything falls in line. They’ll follow the rules as long as they know you’ve got their back.”

Weed Man ready for big year

The company had one of its best years in 2013, and expects better in 2014.

In what the company is calling a “phenomenal year,” Weed Man USA is on track to have one of its best years with both revenue and opening franchises.

“And the good news is the year’s not over yet and we’re coming into our busiest selling season for franchises,” said Jennifer Lemcke, chief operating officer for Weed Man. “So we're really, really excited about where we're at and where we're going.”

For the year 2013, the company grew 19 percent. For 2014, the company is projecting the year to end at $75 million, which would mean a growth of $12 million for the year.

"As we look at some of what our industry has done, specifically in lawn care, we're one of the fastest growing companies, and that we're really proud of, and I know it's because of the people we've gotten involved with the company," said Lemcke.

Not only growing in revenue, Weed Man also announced that the company has grown in size in regards to franchises. To date, 11 franchisees have expanded and signed additional franchise agreements to acquire 35 territories.

“We had budgeted to have 56 territories and we're at 77 already, so we've exceeded our budget by 21 territories, which is really the best we've ever done in one year and, like I've said the year's not over yet,” Lemcke said. She added that the company is currently working on a few verbal deals which will be announced at a later date.

Going big. Weed Man also announced a new venture it was taking. Dan Carrothers, who was marketing manager at BASF, created a franchise, Weed Man Houston, and purchased 22 territories, the largest Weed Man franchise to date. In addition to being a Weed Man franchisee, Carrothers is also part of a brand new joint venture, Turf Operations Houston.

“Based on all of this, we actually decided as a company to do a joint venture with Dan in our corporate entity here in Canada,” Lemcke said. “This is the first time we’ve done this.

The new company’s board of directors will consist of Carrothers, Weed man CEO and founder Roger Mongeon and a few other key employees, including Lemcke.

“I am extremely excited about joining Weed Man,” Carrothers said. “After many years in the industry, primarily on the chemical side as a basic manufacturer, I'm now going to be on the other side of the fence where on a day-to-day basis we're interacting with customers, with an organization that is clearly customer-centric.”

Partnerships and investments like this is something Weed Man hopes to see more of in the future, and taking the first step with Carrothers will hopefully bring attention to these opportunities.

“By developing strong business opportunities with a great candidate like Dan, it brings the level of professionalism up in our industry,” Lemcke said. “These large owner-operated Weed Man franchises give a lot of opportunity for employees to grow within the company and see a future career within our industry.”

“I think me joining Weed Man will simply open up doors for people who are thinking about something beyond what they are currently doing,” Carrothers said. “I think there are many people out there with great experience and they may be wondering what’s next. If nothing else, I may have given them some things to think about and hopefully one of them is that Weed Man is a great place to think about being with.”

Davey earns Silver Award of Achievement

The company was awarded by the Garden Writers Association for it's annual calendar.

KENT, Ohio – The Davey Tree Expert Company is proud to announce its annual 2014 National Register of Big Trees Calendar has earned a Silver Award of Achievement from the 2014 Garden Writers Association Media Awards Program.

Davey has produced the calendar for many years to highlight the nation’s biggest trees in cooperation with American Forests, a non-profit dedicated to protection and expansion of the country’s woodlands. Each year American Forests crowns more than 750 national champion trees, 12 of which are featured in the annual calendar sponsored by Davey.

The Garden Writers Association has conducted an annual awards program for more than 25 years recognizing writing, photography, graphic design, illustration and electronic media production among its members. The Silver Awards represent the first round of judging, with recipients becoming semi-finalists for the GWA Gold Award of Achievement for Best Talent or Best Product.

The 2014 Big Tree calendar was among 51 silver award recipients chosen from 260 submissions. Gold award winners were announced during the GWA Annual Symposium in Pittsburgh Aug. 11.

FMC acquires Cheminova

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- FMC Corporation has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cheminova A/S, a wholly owned subsidiary of Auriga Industries A/S. Cheminova is a multinational crop protection company based in Denmark. FMC will fund the all-cash acquisition through a mixture of debt and existing cash reserves. The transaction is expected to close in early 2015 and will be accretive to adjusted earnings in the first full year following the acquisition.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to combine Cheminova with our own Agricultural Solutions business," said Pierre Brondeau, FMC Corporation president, CEO and chairman. "Cheminova is a company that we have long considered to be an attractive potential partner. It follows a similar strategic approach to FMC in applying technology to deliver solutions to its customers, and has a highly complementary product portfolio and geographic footprint. This transaction will broaden our Agricultural Solutions portfolio and significantly strengthen our market access in key agricultural end markets.

"Cheminova's direct market access in Europe, combined with its strong position in Latin America, will help bring greater balance to our business. Its technology will allow us to expand our position in existing crop segments and provide accelerated access to additional crops, such as cereals. It will also strengthen our offerings to existing customers, especially in sugarcane, soybeans and cotton."

Brondeau added that Cheminova brings complementary technologies in insecticides and herbicides, significantly enhances FMC's fungicide portfolio and adds a growing micronutrient business. "Cheminova has a portfolio of more than 60 active ingredients, over 2,300 registrations and a pipeline of active ingredients currently under development. It is the addition of this broad suite of technology that is particularly exciting to us, and we firmly expect to increase our pace of new product launches in the coming seasons as a direct result of adding Cheminova's capabilities to ours," said Brondeau.

FMC will modify its previously announced separation plans by pursuing a sale of Alkali Chemicals. Commenting on this decision, Brondeau said, "FMC is committed to its strong balance sheet and a sale of Alkali Chemicals will allow us to de-lever to a point that is appropriate for our business profile. Alkali Chemicals is a well-run, highly profitable and cash generative business, and we are confident it will attract many interested buyers. We expect to complete this sale by mid-2015."

FMC Lithium will be retained as a separate operating segment.

Upcoming OLA meeting and tour

Suncrest Gardens was founded by its president, Ric Haury, in August 1976. Through hard work and dedication, Suncrest Gardens today operates as a landscape development, landscape management and retail garden center company with over 100 employees during the season.

Suncrest Gardens is located in Boston Township (adjacent to Hudson) on an eight-acre parcel that includes corporate and production offices, service and equipment buildings and a retail garden center and greenhouse. Their client base includes both residential and commercial sites throughout Northeast Ohio.

Suncrest Gardens is structured to offer an interpersonal relationship with all of its clients and prides itself on providing quality customer service. In addition, an extremely important part of each employee is to be involved in many of the green industry functions such as educational programs, certification testing, training sessions, and national associations.

"We are truly excited about being part of this year's facility tour and are looking forward to sharing the evening with our fellow colleagues," Haury said.